


I Am The Fire, I Am The Light

by sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Glynda's back so i couldn't resist, Ironwitch, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), RWBY ladies swear, Remnant (RWBY), White Rose - Freeform, also Schnee family dynamics with some of my classic Schnee OCs are back, remnant is probably fucked, snowbird, welp it's full out war so things are going to get pretty insane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:26:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27902218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow/pseuds/sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow
Summary: The world is burning and the kingdom of Atlas is about to fall. With so many unknowns, the world hinges on not only the outcome in Atlas but a successful evacuation and the aftermath. The aftermath, after all, is where everything matters the most.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Glynda Goodwitch/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee, Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Kudos: 6





	1. The Smoke

Seconds after the bombs went off, there was silence. Then, the buildings began to collapse and the grimm began to fill the streets. It was nothing short of apocalyptic.

“Fucker!” The pink haired huntress whipped around, ready for a fight, but instead activated her magic and ran. “I swear, where --”

She had been separated from her wife when they had left Atlas Academy following a rather gruesome fight, one with too many shadows and figures from her past than she was ever going to be ready to confront. Now, her heart was pounding in her chest and her lungs were struggling, with all the smoke and debris in the air. She was gasping, continuing to run with her hand tightly around her gun. It had been over a year since the last time she had found herself needing to fight and the situation now was nothing short of dire. It was much worse than she thought it would ever be.

She was closing in on the location her sister had sent her and the only reason she kept herself running was because she knew Glynda would kill her if she went missing in action. Her younger sister had always been notoriously concerned about her -- especially since they both had become huntresses all those years ago -- and the pink haired huntress knew full well that it was not undue. So many times she had almost gone missing, following what she was sure was calling out for her. It certainly was the only reason she had some of the powers she had, though even now she wondered if her impulse was something Ozpin had manipulated, knowing she would be unable to resist.

It didn’t matter. Right now, she had to get to the presidential manor. She was so close, too. Just a few more minutes was what she told herself. Push through, don’t fall, don’t get caught up in anything too reckless if you can avoid it. The grimm were everywhere and she knew full well that the hunters and huntresses and military personnel around her would probably hold this against her one day if they all survived. For the time being, she didn’t care. The adrenaline was too strong, and it was entirely flight for her. She had been running or fighting for years; only once had she found herself frozen and she had vowed since then to fight until there was absolutely nothing left. She had to.

She was a huntress, after all. She had known for years that she was always going to end up having to push herself to and beyond the breaking point and it seemed this was that time. Fleetingly, she prayed that Qrow and Winter were still alright; she hadn’t seen them in hours and she knew full well that they could be dead. Gritting her teeth, she cursed her brother in law and teammate out under her breath, her usually breathy, high voice, squeaky and angry. As she pushed her way onto the grounds and made her way into the manor, she only stopped running to catch her breath. This was a brief, relative safety. Every part of her aching from the pain of the fights and the noise and the adrenaline, she started towards the main presidential office where Glynda had told them they would be.

It didn’t take long for her to find it. She flashed her ID at the guards who let her pass and she entered the office to see, first, her sister and the Atlesian President, along with Ozpin. Then, she saw James. Seething, she slammed down her weapons on the table and stormed towards him, her fists clenched. Without warning, she slapped him and reached for a vase, presumably to throw in his direction, but stopped short and instead pulled out her scroll and shoved a news article into his face. James knew full well he had made a mistake, but he couldn’t believe how angry she was. It had been years since she had been so upset. Around her eyes and behind her glasses were the tell tale sparks of a maiden, and he knew as well as anyone that --

“Cat, calm down!” James caught her wrist before she could manage to break anything and evenly met her gaze. “This isn’t my doing, this isn’t any of our faults! Making things worse --”

He cut himself off upon the doors to the room opening. When he was sure she was calm enough not to do anything too impulsive, he let go of her wrist and sighed. Looking terrible, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee stumbled into the office, although both young women seemed stunned to see not only the huntress and the General, but Glynda, Ozpin, and Atlas’ President Ronnie Ciel as well. Ciel, for his part, looked absolutely haggled and his usually perfectly composed appearance was terribly awry. For once, he didn’t look anything like the esteemed, arrogant politician Weiss had always thought of him as. He seemed painfully human, and extremely scared.

“I’ve got a lot of questions,” Shara Winelend remarked dryly, stepping into the office shortly after the two huntresses. “What the hell are two kids doing here? We’re about to --”

“Let them be,” Ozpin told her, then turning to Cat. “I assume you know plenty of what happened at Beacon?”

She snorted. “You could say that.”

“Wait, was she there --” Ruby began, confused.

“It’s been quite a while since Team JGCS has been active,” Ozpin put in shortly. “That, however, looks as if it will be changing tonight.”

Ruby began to respond but found herself cut short when another group entered the room. Surprised, she and Weiss watched Robyn Hill, Emmett Schnee, Emmeline Ciel, and Willow Schnee all step in. Weiss stared at her mother in absolute disbelief; her aunt and uncle she was far less surprised by.

“And apparently Team WERE is reforming as well,” Ronnie shook his head. “I will say, Willow, that I’m shocked to see you here.”

“No more shocked than I am,” She glanced away for a moment, guilt rising in her chest. “But I don’t suppose I can run from these powers any longer.”

Weiss’ eyes went wide when her mother finally looked up, the tell tale sparks of the Winter Maiden around her own eyes and little bits of ice from her fingertips began coating the Atlesian President’s desk.

“You’re the Winter Maiden?” She exclaimed in sheer bewilderment. “When did this --”

“Happened while we were at Atlas Academy, actually,” Robyn rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. “By the way, James, I’ve played the part of fifteen years younger than I am well, don’t you think? Certainly set that bitch off the scent, if anything.”

“Yeah, it was really effective,” Cat scowled at her. “Of course, none if this is going to matter if she kills us all anyways, so I’d suggest saving your little pat on the back for later.”

Robyn sent her a dark look. “Alright, listen to me you little shit, we’re all --”

“Not in the mood,” She said, waving her hand dismissively and activating her semblance in the palm of her hand. “Talk to the sparkle.”

Robyn huffed indignantly but didn’t say anything after Emmett elbowed her sharply in the side.

“By the way, Ronnie,” Glynda finally said, sideways eyeing her teammates and their closest friends before turning back to him. “You are aware that what you’re about to do might as well be dancing with the devil, don’t you?”

“I am,” Ronnie said shortly. “But it must be done. I am overruling James’ decision to leave Mantle out of the picture and I am evacuating everyone from the kingdom to Vale via the military and declaring martial law. There is no other way.”

Ruby and Weiss shared a horrified look. “But President Ciel --” Weiss protested.

“I would like you two girls and your teammates to lead at least two of the ships out,” He said, standing up and opening the protocols to launch the Atlesian Emergency Broadcast System for the first time since 2001. “I presume Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long are more than capable of leading a ship out?”

“I guess,” Ruby swallowed hard, looking between all of them. “But what about my uncle Qrow, or...or Penny?”

“I haven’t seen him since we were separated,” Robyn hesitated for a second and then sighed. “As for Penny, she’s dead. She died saving Winter Schnee, actually. And, before you ask, I don’t know where she is either. Last time I saw her, she was with Qrow.”

“Whitley’s already been evacuated,” Willow added, for Weiss’ sake. “First ship out to Patch, alongside your cousins Lily and Sasha and your aunt Cristal and her and Oz’s kids.”

Emmeline nodded, glancing at her scroll. “That ship just landed safely in Lexenly. They’ll be fine.”

“The question is, will we?” James crossed his arms, and Shara shrugged, adjusting her crossbow. “I suppose it’s inevitable, then, that our two teams are reinstated.”

“Project Odile and Odette,” Ronnie eyed the eight of them and then looked to Ozpin, unsure if he should say anything more.

“Teams WERE and JGCS had been meant to guard the powers of the maidens from the start,” Ozpin eventually explained, stunning Weiss and Ruby. “Glynda is the Fall Maiden, Cat, the Summer, and Willow, the Winter. We still don’t know what happened to the Spring Maiden...but we have never been able to find her.”

“Exactly,” Cat said, the lie rolling uncomfortably easy off her tongue. Sensing her tension but thinking it was about the fight from just hours before, Shara took her wife’s hand.

Watts really had been all too skilled for his own good. But it mattered not now. He was dead, and that was the end of that.

_“Back down, Arthur,” Cat hissed, pointing her gun at his head. “You don’t have anywhere to run and you might as well accept that for once in your life.”_

_He laughed. “You still love me, don’t you Catherine? You change your name but you’re still the same woman. Catherine Marianna Goodwitch. You --”_

_He stopped short when she grabbed him by the collar and pressed the cold barrel of her gun against his temple. In his periphery, he could see her wife raising her crossbow as she slowly approached him, ready to fire._

_“What is this?” He growled. “You two can’t possibly --”_

_“After everything you’ve done, I don’t imagine I’ll have much trouble pulling the trigger,” Shara told him as she continued to approach, trying to find the perfect angle. “Really, it is what you deserve.”_

_He sneered, ignoring her and instead eyeing his ex-wife. “You’ve gone behind my back for years to try and stop my plans, even when we were married. You sent our daughter to Vale, didn’t you? Where is Claire, if you don’t mind me asking, Catherine?”_

_“Safe from you,” She snapped. “I left you those ten years ago for a reason, and I haven’t let her anywhere near you since. She’s only seventeen, and, frankly --”_

_“So prideful, aren’t you?” He smirked._

_“Not in the slightest,” She replied, her voice a dangerous whisper. “But it’s because of me we haven’t lost more lives. I’m doing what I always have, and it’s what I need to.”_

_Arthur raised an eyebrow. “As I am sure Jacques could tell you, it did not have to be like this.”_

_“And it is ignorant to believe that either of you would have changed,” She snapped. “So either back down now, or --”_

_Arthur managed to kick her off of him and, though her gun fired, it went off well out of range of him. Not holding back, he pushed his aura into the palms of his hands and blasted her far back against the walls of the Atlas Academy library. Her aura rippled in dark red waves over her, indistinguishable from her blood as she began to bleed. He then ran at her and pulled out his own gun, ready to shoot her, but instead being shot in the back back Shara. Realising in a split second what had happened as she fired three more arrows into his back, Arthur’s eyes went wide and he slumped forward in a pool of his own blood. One of the arrows -- he hadn’t the time to know which -- had pierced clean through his heart. After years of crimes, unlike his business partner, he was done._

_He was finished, in the blink of an eye._

_“Cat?” Shara helped her wife up off the ground the second she reached her. “Are you alright?”_

_She shook. “No.”_

_Shara’s eyes went wide in her surprise. “You...you weren’t going to kill him?”_

_She shook her head. “That was never my intention. Arrest, sure...but I can’t...I’ve seen too much death...the grimm are their own matter but...no, I couldn’t. He…”_

_“Why not leave this just to me?” Shara reached up to cup her cheek. “If --”_

_“I wanted to teach him a little lesson,” Cat whispered, her silver eyes brimming with tears. “That the past is never going to let us go, and he...he left so many...so many survivors in pain and I wanted him to know what could come for him at any time. I...I wanted to terrorize him the same way he has always terrorized me.”_

_Shara pulled her in close. “It’s over, Cat,” She murmured. “Now we just have to deal with Salem and whatever hell she’s bringing here.”_

“Cat?” Glynda cut into her sister’s thoughts, eyeing her in concern. “Are you sure you don’t need to sit down? You’ve lost a lot of blood in the last few hours alone.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine,” She turned to Ronnie. “Need any help with that?”

“No,” He took in a deep breath and finally activated the system. “This I must do myself.”

The system glowed to life, casting an eerie shadow all through the office. Around the kingdom -- in every city and every television set, radio, and scroll -- the alert system went active for the first time in forty years. Nothing had thus far been so immediately cataclysmic since then; even the Fall of Beacon had not caused the Atlesian Council or the president to use the system. This, however, was unavoidable. Ronnie felt his stomach sink as the reality of everything around them set in. For all intents and purposes, this very well could be the end of the kingdom. The fall of the world’s strongest military power, the freest and greatest kingdom, appeared to be at hand. It was an absolute blow, and that fact was setting in on them all; from Glynda and Cat Goodwitch; to Willow and Emmett Schnee; to General Emmeline Ciel and General James Ironwood; to Robyn Hill, Shara Winelend, and Ozpin; to Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. The sirens that were about to go off were destroying everything they had ever held close and it was utterly terrifying.

“It is with the utmost regret that I inform the kingdom of Atlas that the end of what we have always known appears to me among us,” Ronnie stared into the camera, doing nothing to hide how unkempt he was. “I am declaring a state of national distress, and request that all citizens evacuate via military transports. 

“In twelve hours, martial law will take effect and I do not wish for any citizens to be caught up in any danger. If by some miracle Atlas does not fall, then I hope everyone will be able to return, survive, and rebuild our kingdom. 

“But...if things go the way I fear...then I hope that the casualties are reduced. This was no accident...as you all are very well aware by now. I am sorry this information was classified for so long, but I do hope you all understand and take heed. The end may very well be already here...so, I beg you, do not let your guard down. Not now.”

Deftly shutting down the broadcast system, Ronnie stared them all down and then sighed again, perhaps more defeated than any of them had ever imagined possible.

“Odile and Odette, go and try to mitigate the damage and prepare what you can,” He finally said. “Ozpin, remain here with me. There are a few things you and I must discuss. And, as for you two young ladies,” He eyed Ruby and Weiss sharply for a moment. “You have your orders, and those of your teammates. Make sure they know too, and begin the evacuation processes. If you happen to find Winter Schnee and Qrow Branwen, give them the same message. Is everyone clear?”

Emmett cast a wary look towards his brother in law. “Ronnie, what is it you’re hiding from us?”

“Nothing material,” He said. Outside, the sounds of more bombs going off became only louder again. “Go. You, Emily, Robyn, and Willow go to Mantle and deal with the situation there. Cat, Glynda, James, and Shara will address things in the capital. Just stay alive. All of you. What Ozpin and I have to discuss is immaterial.”

“President Ciel --” Ruby protested.

“Go,” He said shortly. “That’s an order I will not repeat again. You know full well what’s at stake, Miss Rose, and, if you don’t, then I sincerely hope you figure it out sooner rather than later.”


	2. The Fire

“Ozpin, I sincerely hope you understand what withholding information has now cost us,” Ronnie Ciel stared out in horror at the violence continuing to unfold in the streets, his hands clasped behind his back. “I am not accusing you of malfeasance, but I insist you explain why you held back so much for so long.”

Ozpin said nothing and merely eyed the Atlesian president through lidded eyes. He was well aware that Ronnie had quite a bit more to say, and he was far from being in the mood to be constantly interrupted and contradicted. That fear had been exactly why he had stayed silent for so long on the subject, with his wife having been the only person whom he had told the whole truth well before he had even begun to give pieces of it to even the inner circle. Cristal, and their children, were the only people he was truly willing to be honest with and that was not something he was eager to change unless it was for the sake of saving the rest of the world. Unless that were to come to pass, which he doubted ever would, he was keeping quiet on as much as he could.

“Ozpin,” Ronnie pressed, a hint of annoyance rising in his voice. “I’d rather not repeat myself.”

He frowned. “Look at what’s happened,” He said shortly. “This is exactly what I was afraid of. Hysteria, violence --”

“If you had told at least the leaders of international governments more crucial information, we could have taken measures to prevent something like from happening in the first place,” Ronnie curtly told him. “And you clearly weren’t entirely unwilling to tell people, given that you obviously were letting James, for one, know quite a bit more than I ever have been given. Even Emmeline, I’m sure, knows more than I do, and she’s merely a military official while I am the leader of this entire kingdom.”

“I have no objections to any of that, President Ciel,” Ozpin said cordially. “And, going forward, I will bear that in mind.”

Ronnie turned towards him and narrowed his eyes. “I do wish you had considered that before this,” He said, primly adjusting his glasses. “And, while we’re on the subject, I would appreciate it if you told me what is causing this, and, no, I do not just mean Salem or the Dark’ness or the Queen or whatever the hell it is we call her.”

“What’s causing this is the imbalances of having three relics on the same continent, and within the capital of a kingdom that was already rather cutthroat,” Ozpin evasively replied. “Thankfully, Chrissy has removed the Relic of Choice from Atlas and will be taking it to another, safer location. See, we had to move it here after the fall of Beacon.”

“Yes, I recall that,” Ronnie frowned. “But what of the other relics?”

“Creation is going to remain here if Atlas does not fall,” Ozpin said, glancing nervously out the window. “Of course, if that does not come to pass, it will be kept secure by Emmeline and Emmett.”

Ronnie swore under his breath. “You’re really going to trust my brother in law with such a delicate --”

“Emmett is fiercely loyal and a master huntsman,” Ozpin sent Ronnie a dark look. “I trust him wholeheartedly, and so do the rest of the group.”

“Trust is not my issue there, but do as you will,” Ronnie shook his head. “And what of the Relic of Knowledge? You say it has three questions that can be asked of it --”

“Only two, at the moment,” Ozpin warned him. “And I would not advise you to be the one who does so.”

Ronnie swore under his breath. “Ozpin, now is not the time for playing political games --”

“I’m not playing politics,” He said calmly. “I’m reserving the right to do that to Teams Odette and Odile, to whom I place quite a bit of faith. They are all --”

“Yes, yes,” Ronnie cut in, waving his hand dismissively. “We don’t need to discuss that at the moment.”

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. “And what do you think we need to discuss?”

“Any number of things, but time is too short with this,” Ronnie eyed him critically for a long time. “Tell me,” He said shortly. “Do you think Atlas will survive this?”

Ozpin hesitated. “The odds are not good,” He admitted. “And it won’t be pretty even if it does not fall.”

“Well, in that case,” Ronnie sighed heavily, grimly meeting Ozpin’s gaze. “Long live the United States of Atlas….and good luck to all of us.”

* * *

“Where the hell is she?” Cat swore at her scroll, turning out of the alleyway for just a few seconds to shoot down a few lesser grimm that were coming their way. “Glynda said she’d be back by now, and I swear --”

“We’ve heard you swear enough before, try and hold back a little,” James irritably cut in, shooting down an ursa that began barrelling down the street. “We’ve got enough problems right now without you cursing out your sister --”

“Don’t act like you aren’t concerned!” Shara yelled, running past him with a bag slung over her shoulder. “Now, if you give me five minutes, I’ll get a car hotwired and we can drive through these fuckfaces and shoot them for good measure!”

James cursed under his breath but moved to give her cover. Cat, dodging back into the alleyway, started climbing up onto a fire escape for a better vantage point. Quickly, she reloaded and began to rapid fire as the grimm continued to run through the streets. It wasn’t just the monsters that concerned her, though. There were members of the White Fang running through the city, trying to inhibit their progress, she imagined. There were others, too, but identifying them, let alone knowing their numbers was damn near impossible. No, their opponents were not ones they knew much of. Even from what Ozpin had been able to tell them, there was not much to go on.

Just as aware of their shortcomings as her wife and James, Shara worked quickly and set her rifle aside on the hood of the car. It was near enough for her to grab in crisis, but she was desperately praying that she would be able to finish her hotwiring before she would have to open fire again. Admittedly, she knew using her semblance to hotwire anything was probably a dumb, reckless, last resort but she also didn’t give much of a damn. Taking in a deep breath and focusing her aura, Shara pushed her finger against the lock of the car and forced it open, her electrokinesis working perfectly although it did leave a mild burn on the top of her finger. She did the same to power the car on, and, the second the engine roared to life, she yelled at her wife and James to get in, which they did. Then, she began to drive.

“We’ll probably run into Glynda somewhere in the city,” Shara told them, unsealing the windows and swerving to drive around grimm while her wife and James fired at the creatures. “Fingers crossed she’s okay, but the chances are she is. It’s not like she’s helpless, whatever the hell is holding her up.”

“I’m still going to be pissed,” Cat muttered, shooting a beowulf clean through the head. “She’s never late, and --”

“Save fighting Glynda until after we all survive this,” James irritably cut across her, firing several shots himself. “I’d rather we not lose anyone tonight.”

“You sure as hell aren’t getting that wish,” Shara slammed down on the speed pedal and smirked, enveloping the vehicle with a bit of electricity, well aware that it would shock the grimm if she were close enough to them. “Just be glad that we --”

She cut herself off and let out a short scream, swerving violently down an alleyway then out onto another street. A rather large grimm had almost crashed into the windshield, something which both infuriated and terrified her. More fear setting in, the three of them went silent, with Cat and James opening fire on the creatures rampaging around them while Shara herself tried to avoid anything she suspected would make shit worse for them. It was a gruelling time, and the adrenaline that all of them could feel was not making anything better. This was the absolute worst case scenario, one they had never imagined would ever occur, let alone in their kingdom. Shit was going to hell, and it was far more dangerous than they had ever expected.

“Fuck!” Shara screeched, turning onto the freeway that connected the capital to the rest of the kingdom. “You two are going to hate me for this, but I --”

She manuerved backwards for about a minute before finally managing to exit into the north side of the city. Seconds later, however, she --

“God damn it!” Shara slammed on the brakes and nearly crashed into a wall. When she regained the presence of mind to see clearly, she rolled down the window to a blonde woman scowling at her.

“Glad to see you’re not dead,” Glynda said dryly. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”

* * *

“Come on, everyone!” Yang shouted, waving her arms frantically towards the transports. “It’s not worth going back for anything, just get out of here alive!”

“Things will be sorted out when you arrive in Vale,” Blake added, addressing primarily the hesitant group of faunus nearby. “You don’t need your IDs or passports, you just need to get out of here quickly. Getting killed isn’t worth it.”

Anxious murmurs sprung up amongst them, but, slowly, many did start towards the transports with the others. Blake swallowed hard, taking in the scene before running down the street to plead with more faunus citizens. There was no shortage of guilt rising heavily in her chest, and, after her own dealings and work in the White Fang, she didn’t want to see anyone else exploited or killed. Shit was already more than bad enough, and she was sure that no matter what her teammates and even their friends did. People were going to be fucked so many ways and then there were those with Salem to account for.

Jaune, Nora, and Ren had gone off to the other side of town with Team FNKI and were going to be heading down to Mantle to help evacuate down there. So while Blake desperately ran through the streets to try and get as many faunus out as she could, Weiss, Yang, and Ruby were trying to fill and send off the transports as quickly as they could. Briefly, Ruby wished she still had the Relic of Knowledge but it was in the possession of General Ciel and she knew the hot-headed woman would never hand it over to them. Ruby kept telling herself she respected Ciel, that the general just wanted to do the right thing for the kingdom but she believed it less and less.

Weiss was really the only reason she still had any faith in Ciel, who, in the past month alone, had more than once suggested they simply attack first when there was suspected movement of the White Fang and Salem in southern Mistral. While in hindsight she supposed Ciel’s idea could have done at least something to prevent (or lessen) the situation they were stuck in, Ruby still didn’t much like it. Ciel seemed to have a very much personal vendetta against the White Fang in particular and, while Weiss had explained it was because of what they had done to her father, Edward Ciel, the former, assassinated president of Atlas from back in 2001, Ruby was uncomfortable with it.

Yang wasn’t exactly a fan of Ciel either, although that had more to do with the ways she felt reminded of her mother. Ciel struck her as having a worldview eerily similar to Raven’s and Yang, still very much believing her mother’s world view to be disgustingly selfish, hated it. Of course, the one time she had said anything on the subject, Emmett had gotten upset and immediately defended his wife -- even the worst of her, something even Weiss couldn’t argue with. Ciel aside, Yang was also frustrated with the Atlesian government to begin with. Nothing was changing, nothing had gotten done, and now they were in an absolutely nightmarish situation. If things went to hell, she already knew who to blame, no matter what her sister or teammates might have to say about.

Weiss, for her part, was trying not to think too hard about anything that surrounded them or their current circumstances. Whenever it even crossed her mind, it made her feel sick and she couldn’t take it. She had to be able to fight if it came down to it, and the last thing she wanted was to feel useless. Taking in their surroundings, she continued to hurry people into the transports and send them off, absolutely terrified about what the situation would look like when the transports landed in Patch and Vale proper. She had no idea what it would be like when (or worse, if) they arrived there themselves and it was nauseating to even fleetingly consider. No, things were a mess enough, and she wasn’t quite ready to process it. It was just too much.

“The city should be completely evacuated in about an hour and a half,” Ruby called over to Weiss, who startled and tightened her hand around Myrtenaster. “And then we’re supposed to leave too.”

“Sounds about right,” Yang yelled over the roar of several transports beginning to take off. “Step back you two!”

Weiss bit her lip. “You think we’ll get out of here quicker than that?”

Ruby hesitated. “I hope so,” She said quietly. “I really, really hope so.”

* * *

“The evacuation routes are cleared,” Robyn let out a heavy sigh as she and her team reconvened. “Most of the citizens, including my Happy Huntresses, are starting to leave and it seems Team RWBY and their….friends are surprisingly competent at getting people to leave. I just hope these routes don’t fill with grimm again. It’s already a fucking shit show, and I would hate to see it get much worse than this if we can help it.”

“Well,” Emmett said darkly, his hand tightening around his sword. “If they do, we can address the situation when it starts to make us reconsider our lives.”

Willow snorted. “You make it sound as if we’re committing some sort of crime, not getting people to relative safety. Not helpful, Emmett.”

“Whatever, let’s just deal with this quickly,” Emmeline said, her hands tightening around her rifle. “I, for one, would like all of us to get out of here alive.”

“Ditto,” Robyn said darkly. “But we have a few minutes and we need to talk strategy. For instance, that Relic your husband has on his hip. I don’t think it’s helping us much with the….shall we say….issue regarding the fucking grimm.”

“It’s not as if we have much of a choice than to keep it on us,” Willow irritably reminded her. “And let’s not split up again. I’m not even sure what just happened, but it was awful. I don’t think I’ve felt this scared into being sober in decades.”

Emmeline snorted. “If I didn’t know you were being serious, I’d probably find that funny. Regardless, we’ve basically finished here. The important thing is that we get the fuck out of here.”

“Yeah,” Robyn glanced around, crossing her arms. “But I want to look for a few people in particular before we leave. Specifically, that drunk asshole and Willow’s daughter. I happen to like them, and don’t want them to die.”

“Thanks, Robyn,” Willow said dryly. “I’m glad to know how much you care about me and my family.”

“I’m being practical too,” Robyn tartly reminded her. “They’re both incredibly skilled fighters, although when I see him and we’re not in a life or death situation, I am going to punch him. That dick kept getting in my way during a mission last year, and I have not forgiven him for it.”

“Not the main concern right now, Robyn,” Emmett said, pushing his glasses up and then quickly pulling his long, white hair back up into a messy bun. “But, sure, once we’re not all staring death in the face, you can punch whoever you want because we’re going to all be too tired to give a shit.”

Robyn rolled her eyes. “Well, with that cleared up, let’s scour the city one last time before we get out of here. That alright with all of you?”

“I haven’t got any objections,” Emmeline glanced to Willow. “You okay? You look like hell.”

“Thanks, Emmeline,” Willow scowled. “And I’m fine, just exhausted. You have no idea how long it's been since I’ve used my semblance this much, let alone for the sake of a fight.”

“Look at it this way, you’re obviously not so out of practice that you’re a liability,” Robyn shrugged and then shook her head. “Let’s just get through this quickly. I really don’t like the odds of any of this, and I don’t get the idea that President Ciel thinks our kingdom is going to survive this either.’

“Don’t even,” Emmett tiredly put in before she could say anything else. “The situation is already bad enough, Robyn, without us all having to think about where --”

He immediately turned around, as did his wife, teammate, and sister, upon hearing a loud crash just shortly down the alleyway they had convened in. Slowly, they started towards the sound, weapons at the ready. The sound of incoherent cursing from a man and a woman could be heard from near where the crash had sounded out. Her stomach sinking, Emmeline feared, for a moment, that they were going to end up in the midst of a raid but that was quite the opposite of what they found. Albeit heavily bruised and bleeding, the faces of Winter Schnee and Qrow Branwen came slowly into focus when Robyn lit out the area with fire dust. Willow let out a horrified gasp before tightly embracing her daughter, who weakly hugged her back. Qrow uncomfortably waved at them, standing up himself.

“Well, this is convenient,” Emmett remarked, trying not to laugh.

“The fuck happened to you two?” Emmeline exclaimed, taking in their appearances in shock.

“Nothing good,” Qrow muttered. “We’ll tell you later, but let’s try to get out of her alive first, shall we?”


End file.
